FAQs

Q: What should people do in dearth situations if they don’t have honey to “feed back”? (This reader shared that he’d read “To Feed or Not to Feed” in our September, ’12 newsletter, and didn’t want to use sugar.)
A: If you have to feed and there is no honey available, then do feed Read more >

Q: A friend was going to bulldoze his trailer and found it was full of bees between two floor joists. His double wide is 24’ wide, so I’m assuming there is brood and the like for 12’. They have dropped five combs down from the floor, and he wants them out of there. I’m planning to cut the floor into Read more >

Q: I winter killed last winter and I wonder if I should make a really strong overbuilt--and therefore somewhat insulating--hive body?
A: We talked to a couple of beekeepers about this, and they suspect the problem was either a weak hive that couldn’t keep sufficiently warm or too high moisture levels in Read more >

Q: What’s the concentration of sugar-water for fall syrup?
A: Double that of the spring mix. You’ll need two parts of sugar (by weight) to one part water (by weight). It is difficult to get the sugar into solution using hot tap water. We suggest bringing the water to a boil, removing it from the Read more >